IT’S Ladies Day at Worcester Racecourse on Saturday and for jockey Isabelle Ryder it could prove to be historic.

With our new state-of-the-art, two-storey weighing room in use for the first time, Isabelle — who is scheduled to ride Reine Free in the opening race at 12.40pm — could be the first woman to make use of the new female dressing room.

Like many racecourses, until now we have had to adapt old facilities to provide space for the rising numbers of female riders.

After all, the old weighing room was built 60 years ago when there were no female jockeys.

So we can look upon the new weighing room as something that reflects changing times in the sport with far more women riding and those numbers are only going to increase — from young conditional jockeys like Isabelle to Grand National winners such as Rachael Blackmore.

But, as we say goodbye to the past and usher in the future at Worcester, it’s also worth reflecting on what an incredible job that old building did before its recent demolition.

For over half-a-century it withstood everything the elements could throw at it, including countless floods, storm damage, hail and snow plus the occasional blazing day of sunshine.

The inside had started to look a bit tired but structurally it was sound and that was a testament to those who built it.

Heroes and legends of the sport, such as Jack Anthony, Terry Biddlecombe, John Francombe and AP McCoy, moved through that building as well as stellar names from the days when there was flat racing held — the likes of Gordon Richards, Joe Mercer and Lester Piggott.

That old weighing room was a real landmark on the course — pre-dating the grandstand which was built in 1975 — but the new one is going to be as iconic and hopefully as long-lasting.

It features a restaurant area for the jockeys which also reflects the way racing has moved on.

It will have very healthy food rather than the small plate of chicken nuggets followed by a couple of cigarettes that a lot of jockeys used to survive on.

There are warm-up areas for them as well as spaces to relax — everything you need to be a top athlete.

We used to have the oldest, most outdated weighing room of any racecourse in the country and now Worcester can boast the newest.

Getting to this final stage has been a big challenge, though, particularly with the impact of the Covid lockdowns and the aftermath and then the challenge of so much flooding from the river.

Its completion is a tribute to the determination and professionalism of all those involved.

So I cannot wait for Saturday when we throw open the doors and people can see the new weighing room, the new parade ring and the revamped lawn spaces plus everything else we have to offer.

Ladies Day is always a special day in our calendar and, with this being the first meeting of the season, there is so much excitement and anticipation.

We have top trainers such as Fergal O’Brien, Jono O’Neil and Dan Skelton bringing their best horses for seven high-quality races as well as lots of other live entertainment.

The forecast is good so bring it on!

Our columnist Michael Thomas is the general manager at Worcester Racecourse.